House hunting with your better half this Valentine's Day? First, ask yourself if you really want to do that. After all, experts say there are only a few more stressful activities than buying a home together (renovating a home is one if them, so if you're currently redoing your place, you might want to take a breather till Feb. 15).

If you've ever bought a house with your loved one, you probably know you're lucky to still be together.

A home search so often descends into a battle of the sexes, and the reason is simple: men and women are different.

Duh, right? But when it comes to buying a home, those differences can not only get in the way of finding the right one, they can also get in the way of you staying married.

Can the two of you come together to buy a house that makes you both happy? Or are you destined for divorce court because your approach to house hunting is more like an episode of Game of Thrones? Heed a few tips and you may both be able to get what you want.

Playing to Sterotypes

A couple walks into a home for sale (sounds like the beginning of a joke including a Priest and a bar, but really it's serious business). The wife examines every room, taking special note of how the family space will work for your kids. Imagining homework at the kitchen table, cozying up in front of the fireplace watching movies, the dog running around in the yard. The husband goes right for the garage and determines the house won't do because there isn't enough workshop space.

"A lot of what Patterson learned about appealing to women buyers might sound like sexist stereotypes," said Builder magazine. "He says men look at a house as a general impression, with their most specific interest being where to put the big-screen TV, while women see the details of its parts. Men look at a house plan with concerns about how they will relax in the house, he says, while women focus on how the family will live in the house and how they will work in it. Obviously these are generalizations that don't apply to every man or woman, but Patterson said that they do apply to many and that figuring out how to use those generalizations to market and sell his homes has been a major contributor to Patco's success."

Embracing each other's differences is about personal taste and style, true. But chances are it's more about embracing the stereotypes.

The Do's and Don't's of Buying a House Together

If you are house-hunting together, it's probably safe to say you intend to live in the house together. So if you want to keep it that way, here are a few things to consider:

• Ladies, don't tell him that a finished basement is less important than an updated kitchen. It's TOTALLY true, but making him feel like his wants aren't important is not the way to get your granite countertops.
• Gentlemen, don't say things like, "Oh, schools don't matter. They'll be fine!" Trust us when we say that's not going to get you any closer to the 90-inch TV you have your eye on.
• Ladies, your husband will not understand why a big soaking tub and upstairs laundry are so critical. Don't even waste your time. Think about him too. Does the house have a giant space in the backyard where he can barbecue? Bingo! That's leverage.
• Gentlemen, if you tell her that you could buy her a bigger home if she'd just stop spending so much money trying to turn back the clock, you may just end up living in your car.

Kindness, people. And compromise. And common sense. And a copy of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus from author John Gray (Trust us. Really). Keep these things in mind and you'll be on well on your way to a home that makes you both happy and a relationship that lasts through the close of escrow.